MLB Player News

Sanchez is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Orioles.

This is Sanchez's first day off of the young season. He went 3-for-7 with a pair of home runs in the first two games of the season, then 0-for-8 with four strikeouts over the next two. Kyle Higashioka will start behind the dish and bat ninth.

The Rays claimed Grullon off waivers from the Reds on Tuesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Though Grullon will tentatively replace reliever Chaz Roe (shoulder) on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster, he'll presumably be optioned to the Rays' alternate training site since the team already has three catchers on the active roster. Grullon has seen some action at the big-league level with the Phillies and Red Sox, appearing in five games across the past two seasons.

The Nationals placed Gomes on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Gomes is one of nine Nationals players on the 40-man roster who will begin the campaign on the IL as a result of the team's recent COVID-19 outbreak. Prior reports have suggested that only four of the players in question have confirmed positive tests, but it's uncertain whether Gomes is one of the infected players or merely a close contact. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, players that tested positive will be eligible to return after 10 days in quarantine, while those ruled out through contact tracing can return after a week. With Alex Avila joining Gomes on the COVID-19 IL to begin the season, the Nationals will be without their top two catchers. Jonathan Lucroy and Tres Barrera were both added to the Opening Day roster as replacements, and Lucroy is slated to catch Max Scherzer in Tuesday's season opener versus Atlanta, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.

Garver is not starting Tuesday against the Tigers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Garver will sit for the second straight game, even with this contest coming in the early afternoon. Ryan Jeffers will make his third start in the season's first five games in his absence.

Grandal went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 6-0 win over the Mariners.

Grandal's 150th career home run in the second inning held up as the game-winning hit. The catcher has a .922 OPS and five RBI to start the season, ranking second on the White Sox in each category only to the improbable Yermin Mercedes.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a home run and three walks during Monday's win over the Athletics.

Smith reached safely in four of his six plate appearances while also launching his second long ball of the season, and he's now hit safely in his last three contests while going deep in back-to-back contests. He's undoubtedly providing solid offense from a position where the elite offensive alternatives are quite limited.

Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.

He took Jason Adam deep in the seventh inning to provide the Brewers with their only offense of the night. Narvaez has hits in all three of his starts to begin the season, going 5-for-11 with one homer and four RBI.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's win over the Brewers.

Contreras went deep against Milwaukee starter Brett Anderson during a four-run fourth inning, giving the Chicago catcher his first long ball of the season. Contreras had seven home runs in 57 games last season and posted a career-high 24 homers in the team's last full season back in 2019. He could certainly surpass that figure in 2021 if he stays healthy.

Jansen (knee) is being considered day-to-day after leaving Monday's game against Texas, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen was removed from Monday's clash after being struck by a pitch on his knee. The team will likely re-evaluate the backstop Tuesday before determining his status for the second game of the series.

Murphy (wrist) will return to the lineup Monday against the Dodgers, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Murphy was hit by a pitch on his wrist in the season opener and missed the next three games. The issue never seemed like a long-term problem, however. He'll catch and bat sixth Monday.